Regional overview

Regional overview

Second-quarter contracts in the European melamine market settled at an increase, largely driven by snug supply.

Double-digit increases were heard throughout the market, with the extent dependent on the starting point and account.

The combination of lower imports, planned maintenance stoppages, and continued robust demand has tightened the European supply balance. The catalyst for the global tightening of melamine supply was production problems in China last year.

Second-quarter demand is traditionally the highest in the year, which added to the upward pressure in the market.

The performance of the construction sector has been strong, year to date. Demand last year was also very healthy, and because of this, it remains at a steady yet high level for many players in the market.

Price reporting

Price reporting

ICIS provides pricing information, news and analysis for all major petrochemical and chemical markets, including Melamine.

We offer unbiased and independent price reporting, with our price assessments being widely quoted as benchmarks in contracts.

Our information is collected from market participants by our global network of reporters, delivering unrivalled coverage of established and emerging markets, including China and Asia.

ICIS price assessments are based on information gathered from a wide cross section of the market, comprising consumers, producers, traders and distributors. Confirmed deals, verified by both buyer and seller, provide the foundation of our price assessments, giving you a robust reference for your negotiations.

Editor

Price history

Price history

ICIS collects pricing data on a wide range of chemical, energy and fertilizer products, including Melamine. Our extensive experience in price reporting means we can offer you access to historical data dating back more than 20 years for certain commodities.

Our time series of pricing data enables you to build and model trends, to get a view of where markets might be heading. The data service includes charting functionality, allowing you to chart and download multiple data series for manipulation in your own internal models. You can also export data to Excel via the ICIS dashboard service.

Methodology

ICIS price assessments are based on information gathered from a wide cross-section of the market, comprising consumers, producers, traders and distributors from more than 250 reporters world-wide. Confirmed deals, verified by both buyer and seller, provide the foundation of our price assessments.

Our in-depth market knowledge drives our specialist focus, as we recognise the importance of individual market dynamics and not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Over 25 years of reporting on key chemicals markets, including Melamine, has brought global recognition of our methodology as being unbiased, authoritative and rigorous in preserving our editorial integrity. Our global network of reporters in Houston, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Perth and Moscow ensures unrivalled coverage of established and emerging markets.

Melamine Methodology

Melamine was originally manufactured by heating dicyandiamide under pressure.

Global methyl methacrylate (MMA) players are looking to the Middle East, in the hope of finding some relief to the current shortness in supply. Supply started to tighten in the second-half of 2016, with a series of planned and unplanned plant outages in Asia as the catalyst. Since that point, the global supply situation has gone from bad to worse, with prices soaring in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

This ICIS market insight and infographic, by senior editor manager Katherine Sale, examines the key events that led to the global shortage of product, the drivers for the year to come and, most importantly, evaluates whether there will be any easing to the supply constraints in 2017.

Special feature: Europe Chemicals Market Outlook 2017

Following the success of the annual Global Chemicals Outlook series, ICIS has launched the 2017 version of the Europe magazine which is now available to download. Get the latest rundown of the key market developments and conditions in Europe in 2016, together with a short-term outlook of what to look out for in 2017.

Market outlook: Will Europe PMMA lighting applications shine in 2017?

Read the latest market outlook for European polymethyl methacrylate from ICIS editor Katherine Sale to learn about the key areas of interest for 2017 and the influences on European supply and demand dynamics.